Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe is 21, but of course she’s not your average college student (she’s majoring in human biology at Stanford). Gates is the youngest of Bill and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates’ three children, and has a rising profile as an outspoken progressive.
On Saturday she was given a spot on stage at the Global Citizen event in Manhattan’s Central Park after showcasing a New York Fashion Week bag “collaboration” with designer Stella McCartney. She’s also aligned with the Extinction Rebellion movement by launching a “sustainable fashion” business. Its members previously disrupted the US Open and tried to shut down Burning Man.
She’s also not hesitant to comment on politics, captioning a photo of her in a bikini “I’m not shy about my body and/or telling you to keep your bans off of it. Every person deserves access to sexual and reproductive health care,” she wrote in the post in June 2022, just days after the Supreme Court struck down Roe vs. Wade.
She also said the downside of her social media profile was “misconceptions and conspiracy theories about my family and my relationship with my boyfriend.” Her boyfriend is tech founder and Stanford alum Robert Ross, who is Black. “It’s 2023. I’m done being memed for being in an interracial relationship,” she said.
Phoebe Gates’ latest venture is a sustainable fashion platform Phia, which will debut later this year.
